Community Structure of Soft-bottom Macrozoobenthic Communities near the Sori-Keumo Islands, Southern Coast of Korea after the Sea Prince Oil Spill

摘要

We monitored the current macrozoobenthic community structure after the Sea Prince oil spill around Keumo-do and Sori-do, Korea. Macrobenthic animals were collected seasonally around Sori-Keumo do using a van Veen grab (0.1 m~2) from October 1999 to April 2000. In total, 196 species were identified at 46 sites around Keumho-do. The mean density was 1,460 individuals/m , and polychaetes comprised 80% of the total density of the macrozoobenthos. Dominant species were the polychaete Tharyx sp. (51%), theechinoderm Amphioplus megapomus (5%) and the polychaete Lumbrineris longifolia (3%). We identified 176 macrobenthic species at 36 sites around Sori-do. The mean density was 1,068 individuals/m~2, and polychaetes was the most abundant faunal group, comprising 41%, followed by mollusks (24%) and echinoderms (20%). Dominant species in Sori-do were the mollusk Potamocorbula amurensis (23%), the chinoderm Amphioplus megapomus (14%), and the polychaete Tharyx sp. (10%). The overall community structures in the study area showed few seasonal changes, although there was a gradual change in the species composition within each benthic community. Tharyx sp. was the most abundant species in the study area. Because this species has not been found in the other coastal areas except during recent investigations, it is considered to have increased during the course of community succession after the oil spill. The macrozoobenthos around Keumo-do showed little change in species richness, whereas around Sori-do, it showed a few increases in species richness after the summer of 1998. The overall density showed the same trend as species richness. Based on improved community indices, we suggest that the macrozoobenthic communities around Sori-Keumo Islands are gradually recovering from the oil-spill damagecaused by the oil spill.